生活的一課
"Everything happens for the best," my mother said whenever I faced disappointment. "If you carry on, one day something good will happen. And you'll realize that it wouldn't have happened if not for that previous disappointment."
每當(dāng)我遇到挫折時(shí)，母親就會(huì)說(shuō)：“一切都會(huì)好的。如果你堅(jiān)持下去，總有一天會(huì)有好事發(fā)生。你會(huì)認(rèn)識(shí)到，如果沒(méi)有以前的挫折就不會(huì)有現(xiàn)在的一切。”
Mother was right, as I discovered after graduating from college in 1932. I had decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports announcer. I hitchhiked to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station - and got turned down every time.
母親是對(duì)的，發(fā)現(xiàn)這個(gè)時(shí)是在1932年，我剛從大學(xué)畢業(yè)。我已決定試著在電臺(tái)找個(gè)事兒做，然后爭(zhēng)取做體育節(jié)目的播音員。我搭便車(chē)到了芝加哥，挨家電臺(tái)地敲門(mén)推銷(xiāo)自己--但每次都被拒絕了。
In one studio, a kind lady told me that big stations couldn't risk hiring an inexperienced person. "Go out in the sticks and find a small station that'll give you a chance," she said.
在一個(gè)播音室里，一位好心的女士告訴我，大的廣播電臺(tái)是不會(huì)冒險(xiǎn)雇傭沒(méi)經(jīng)驗(yàn)的新手的。“去鄉(xiāng)下找一家給你機(jī)會(huì)的小電臺(tái)吧，”她說(shuō)。
I thumbed home to Dixon, Illinois. While there was no radio-announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local athlete to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I had played high school football, I applied. The job sounded just right for me. But I wasn't hired.
我搭車(chē)來(lái)到我的家鄉(xiāng)，那是伊利諾斯州的迪克森。在迪克森當(dāng)時(shí)還沒(méi)有電臺(tái)播音員這樣的工作，父親說(shuō)，蒙哥馬利·沃德開(kāi)了一家新商店，想雇請(qǐng)一個(gè)本地的運(yùn)動(dòng)員管理店里的體育部。我中學(xué)時(shí)曾在迪克森打過(guò)橄欖球，出于這個(gè)原因我去申請(qǐng)了這份工作。工作聽(tīng)起來(lái)挺適合我的，但是我沒(méi)被聘用。
My disappointment must have shown. "Everything happens for the best," Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to job hunt. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer.
我的沮喪心情一定表現(xiàn)出來(lái)了。“一切總會(huì)好的，”母親提醒我說(shuō)。爸爸給我買(mǎi)了一輛汽車(chē)找工作用。我試到愛(ài)荷華州達(dá)文波特的WOC電臺(tái)去求職。那里的電臺(tái)節(jié)目負(fù)責(zé)人是一個(gè)很棒的蘇格蘭人，名叫彼得?麥克阿瑟，他告訴我他們已經(jīng)雇到播音員了。
As I left his office, my frustration boiled over. I asked aloud, "How can a fellow get to be a sports announcer if he can't get a job in a radio station?"
離開(kāi)他辦公室時(shí)，我憤怒極了。我大聲地說(shuō)：“一個(gè)連在電臺(tái)都找不到工作的家伙又怎么能成為體育節(jié)目的播音員呢？”
I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling, "What was that you said about sports? Do you know anything about football?" Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game.
等電梯時(shí)，我聽(tīng)見(jiàn)麥克阿瑟喊道：“你說(shuō)什么體育？你了解橄欖球嗎？”接著他讓我站到麥克風(fēng)前，請(qǐng)我解說(shuō)一場(chǎng)想象中的比賽。
On my way home, as I have many times since, I thought of my mother's words: "If you carry on, one day something good will happen. Something wouldn't have happened if not for that previous disappointment."
在回家的路上--以后也有很多次地，我思考著母親的那句話(huà)：“如果你堅(jiān)持下去，總有一天會(huì)有好事發(fā)生。如果沒(méi)有以前的挫折，就不會(huì)有現(xiàn)在的一切。”
I often wonder what direction my life might have taken if I'd gotten the job at Montgomery Ward.
我常想，如果我當(dāng)年得到了蒙哥馬利·沃德的那份工作，我的人生之路又會(huì)怎樣走呢？
